The Sacramento Kings’ Summer League start had been easy to get excited about. Four straight wins, flashes from Darius Acuff Jr., a promising look from Dylan Cardwell, and Emanuel Sharp already looking like a second-round steal - it all pointed in a pretty encouraging direction.
Then came a much rougher night.
Sacramento got blown out by the Washington Wizards, 104-85, and the first loss of the exhibition season was a blunt reminder that this reset won’t move in a straight line. Maxime Raynaud made his debut and gave the Kings something to like with 20 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal, but the bigger story was how quickly the game got away from Sacramento. AJ Dybantsa and Will Riley helped push Washington past them, and once again the conversation circled back to Acuff’s defense.
That side of Acuff’s game has already shown both extremes. When he’s locked in, he can stay attached to his man and make a play. When he drifts, the drop-off is immediate and obvious.
On three consecutive possessions Acuff:- closes out lazily on his man who passes it to an open Camden. Acuff doesn't make an effort to run at him to cover for Sharp- misses layup & takes his time getting up- takes 8 seconds to re-enter frame while his teammates defend 4-on-5 https://t.co/womg6w69k3 pic.twitter.com/KYWUJkAxms
That kind of sequence is exactly why the Kings’ staff and fans will be watching him closely. Acuff has been clear about wanting to improve defensively, and now comes the hard part: proving it consistently.
In Summer League, those lapses are one thing. Over the course of a real season, they’re another.
There’s no mystery to why the learning curve is steep. Acuff is trying to break habits that have been built over years, and that doesn’t happen overnight.
He’s not going to turn into an All-NBA defender, or even an average one, just because the season starts. But the effort level has to trend upward.
If it’s still looking like that 50 games in, or a year or two from now, then the conversation changes.
And Acuff isn’t the only one the Kings have to be patient with. This is a young group, and young teams usually come with uneven stretches. Sacramento is also carrying veterans whose futures remain uncertain, with Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and Malik Monk all still raising questions about what comes next in Sacramento.
That’s why the early Summer League run shouldn’t be mistaken for a finished product. It’s tempting to look at the wins and start imagining how the veterans might fit into the picture, but even if those players help push the Kings back toward playoff contention, that still wouldn’t solve everything the franchise is trying to build.
The bigger point is simpler than that: this offseason was never going to fix everything at once. The Kings are still at the beginning of the process, and Wednesday’s loss was a clear reminder that there’s a long way to go.
In Other News...
John Wall Just Sent Kings Fans A Big Darius Acuff Message
Darius Acuff Jr. has already drawn some real attention in Sacramento, and it is easy to see why the Kings are intrigued. The former Calipari guard arrived with a reputation as a promising young scorer, and he fits neatly into the kind of long-view talent evaluation teams lean on during Summer League, especially when a players ceiling seems to matter as much as the early returns.
John Wall only added to that buzz with the kind of endorsement that tends to travel fast around the league. A fellow Calipari alumnus and former NBA All-Star, Wall put Acuff in rare company as a scorer, which is the sort of praise that can stick with a young guard even as he continues to find his footing in Las Vegas. For Kings fans, it is another reminder that Acuffs name is already starting to come up in bigger conversations, even if the on-court production has not fully caught up yet. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Loss May Have Exposed A Bigger Problem Than Expected
The Kings perfect Summer League run ended in a 104-85 loss to Washington, and the scoreline came with a reminder that summer success can be fragile once the competition tightens. Maxime Raynaud still gave Sacramento plenty to like in his debut, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while the team also got a look at a two-big setup by starting Raynaud alongside Dylan Cardwell.
What stood out just as much was how quickly the game tilted away from Sacramento once Washington found rhythm and pressure. Darius Acuff Jr. had a rough shooting night, and the Kings never really solved the defensive issues that let the Wizards keep control, leaving this loss to feel less like a blip and more like a useful warning sign for what still needs cleaning up. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Just Gave An Undrafted Rookie A Real Chance To Impress
Elias Ralph has already taken a meaningful step toward a pro basketball future, landing a spot on the Kings Summer League roster after going through a workout with the team about a month earlier. The former Pacific forward, who went undrafted, said he is grateful for the chance and is treating the summer as a chance to learn, improve and show he belongs in a professional setting.
Ralph has not yet appeared in a Summer League game, and he was out during the California Classic, but the opportunity alone gives him a platform to keep building. For a player trying to turn a strong college run into a real career, the next stretch is about staying ready, absorbing everything he can and hoping the work eventually opens a door to a G League role and, down the line, an NBA roster spot. [Read more 🡒]